The Benue State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC Yakubu Mohammad, has said that tanker drivers not complying with standard safety rules means they would risk a jail term if caught.
concerning the tanker explosion that took the oshigbudu community in Agatu local government area of Benue state on Sunday, Mohammad blamed the non-usage of safety valves to guard against spillage when tankers were involved in crashes, leading to spillage and the attendant destruction.
He warned petroleum tanker owners of non-usage of safety valves.
In a statement signed by the command’s Public Education Officer, Oladele Meshach, the unit commander warned all petroleum tanker owners to make sure the immediate installation of safety valves on their tankers to protect lives, property, and the products that the vehicles convey.
Yakubu Mohammad lamented that it was disheartening that some petroleum tankers still plying the roads without safety valves fixed on them despite the February 2021 deadline earlier issued.
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“This warning came following a crash by a petroleum tanker that lost control, spilled fuel, and burst into flames at Oshigbudu in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State on Sunday, April 18, 2021, where 12 persons died as a result of the crash and several properties destroyed,” the statement read.
Newsmen had reported that a fuel tanker on Sunday, exploded at the residential area of the community, leading to the death of about 12 persons with shops, vehicles, and houses razed down.
